Fans Have Their Say On Newcastle’s Current Difficult Predicament

It looks like Newcastle are in another serious relegation scrap with the distinct possibility we could be relegated for the third time in nine years under intransigent owner Mike Ashley.

While nobody really knows what the situation is it appears that Mike Ashley will give Rafa no money to spend this January, but it’s also proving difficult for Rafa to bring in players on loan.

We just have to try to stay positive (it’s not easy) and hope in the next couple of weeks we can get good players through the door.

Newcastle fans

But a second successive January transfer window with no signings would be very difficult to take.

Here are some of the fans concerns at the moment.

It’s a sign of desperation when #NUFC‘s captain @Lascelles16 openly pleads with the owner of his club not to force Rafa out. The only person who is enjoying this takeover battle is Mike Ashley who’d rather see the club relegated than blink first.

#NUFCTakeover update. It’s not going to happen neither are any transfers. Loan deals it is this January. Mike Ashley fucking us over one last time before selling the club in the summer if we stay up! If we go down he’s stuck with us again due to being a silly tight bastard! #NUFC

Aye theres 6 or 7 clubs in the prem atm with squads that wouldnt walk the championship if they wer down there. Some could quite easily struggle #nufc included. If we went down the team that stays up will have done because of our failings. If we stay up we’ve done well.

Feel like Mike Ashley must have a very expensive Christmas every year as he is so tight in January!! #nufc@lee_ryder@alanshearer@No1shaygiven surely Rafa must know something if he is staying!! It’s a crazy situation!! Compliments to Mr Benitez!

Somebody on #Tyneside give me some good #NUFC News before I go to bed over here in the states. We need Takeover to happen. We need quality in the squad. We need to make sure #Rafa doesn’t leave. Somebody give me some good news please! #HWTL

The farthest Merino played in the field is as CM. He has the skill to play as a striker tjo ( u21 matches if you seen em) , frustrated because Gayle’s chances, Mitro or Joselu or Merino woukd have converted . Need signings . #nufc

Starting to wonder how “rich” these interested people actually are why would they haggle this much? Just because Amanda staverley knows rich royals doesn’t mean they are the ones everyone hopes for #NUFC

117 comments so far

It’s an unfortunate time for the club to be caught in takeover limbo if that is what is happening. It won’t suit either party, Ashley because he will be negotiating a falling value asset, and the buyers because they have no remit to invest in a business they don’t own yet.

It’s more likely to be all quiet on a failed deal with the NDA specifying no info leaks until after the transfer window closes in order to quell the inevitable fan unrest and keep it to a war cry. Meanwhile the PR machine will be cooking up some rubbish to pacify us all and that’s it’s actually a good thing to stick with Mike as we bravely battle on, wiping its own nose and running down Benitez contract.

And we can look forward to Rafa saying he believes he’s done as much as he could for the club [under Ashley] and he’ll be off at the end of the season. He needn’t worry about having let the city and the fans down – he’s given it is best working for a man who’s an habitual liar.

Opportunities are being missed at Newcastle United. On the pitch they are failing to take them. In the board room they seem intent on refusing them and all supporters can do is rue them.

Newcastle had enough clear chances to beat Swansea easily, but instead ending up scrambling to secure a point that was not enough to pull clear of the relegation battle.

Had Rafa Benitez’s side beaten the Premier League’s bottom team, they would have climbed into the relative safety of mid-table, putting seven or eight clubs between themselves and the drop zone. There would have been breathing space. Instead, they remain just three points clear and, without a league win at home since October, will continue to fret.

This story was played out against a backdrop of misinformation and mistrust emanating from the boardroom. Nobody seems to want to sign the players Benitez has requested this month, but no one appears to be able to explain why either.

The squad needs to be strengthened, everybody can see it, but that does not mean it is going to happen. It is a mystery to all those who follow Mike Ashley’s dysfunctional football club.

Ashley still wants to sell the club, but he is no closer to doing so now than he was in the autum.

Ashley willingly gave Benitez control of the football side of the business almost two years ago, but everyone else employed by this muddled billionaire appears to want to question the Spaniard’s judgment. It is nonsensical to the point of self-harm.

Perhaps it can be partly explained by the fact Ashley still wants to sell the club, except he is no closer to doing so now than he was in the autumn. A takeover is supposedly still being negotiated with Amanda Staveley, but there has been so little progress over the last few weeks that we are surely at the point where those negotiations are on the brink of collapse.

Whose fault is that? It is impossible to tell because nobody will put their name to anything when it comes to leaking information. Staveley’s camp will blame Ashley, but club sources insist she is responsible for failing to make an acceptable bid.

As for the team, they continue to give everything they have, but their limitations are obvious. They are crying out for a new striker, a winger and a goalkeeper, but may end up with none of the above.

Benitez picked the same starting XI against Swansea that won promotion from the Championship. He may have been making a point, but those above him will also point out that the signings he made in the summer were all sitting on the bench. Why trust him to make better ones in January?

“It tells everybody where we are,” said Benitez. “We are in the Premier League and we have a lot of players giving everything, but still sometimes it is not enough. You could see in the first half that we had chances.”

Dwight Gayle – who could have had a hat-trick, Paul Dummett and Ayoze Perez missed them, though, while Jordan Ayew took his and Swansea could have scored a winner had DeAndre Yedlin not cleared Wilfried Bony’s effort off the line. In the end, Joselu’s strike salvaged a point for the Magpies.

“I am very happy the players are not pleased with a point,” said Swansea manager Carlos Carvalhal. “Because it means they fight for three points and they want three points.

“I would not be happy if I got there and they are celebrating a point. It means they know their responsibility, they know what we want. This is something positive in my opinion.”

msk Is not a recent phenomenon Early November when we lost 1- 0 at home to Bournemouth he posted

msk21dec Nov 4, 2017 at 5:52 PM Comment #6 All i want is a manager who will take risks to win games. How benitez set ups to start with would have been fine if later on hed take risks to win i.e. get on 2 strikers up top or throw more players forward how they used to in the 90s. for example is a team was losing they usually get another striker on and take one full back off. Or to win games like todays get 3 strikers on to win the game and get that goal.. i mean its bournemouth at home not bloody man city!! My recommendation would be Prandelli, Tuchel, Ancelotti. Id love conte but hes going back to italy after chelsea. Id love sarri aswell but dont see him leaving napoli anytime soon

We all know you’re trying your best to deal with troublesome posters but msk21dec has really overstepped the mark.

Your dedication to the Blog is admirable and we long-time posters would understand if you closed it down. It must be sickening for you knowing that imbeciles such as msk21dec should be walking this earth!

kakaobi – I said that around the time. Recent report that he was said to have been heart broken would seem to add credence. I don’t think he’s ever done himself any favours but he should not tar an entire community with the same brush. Only a very small minority would have been part of that- any threats – if indeed they happened.

Hibbitt, Exactly. Benitez has deals lined up as well just like last january and last summer but penfold cant sign off on them as he has no power, it has to be either of the two muppets above. If rafa somehow manages to keep this team in the league it will be a monumental managerial achievement.

Unfortunately it’s a serious situation, one I totally expected. Rafa will do his best with the players we have for the rest of the season, if we stay up he’ll see what next season brings. If we’re relegated which could easily happen in do think Rafa will say enough is enough I’ve tried my best under the circumstances and walk.

Hibbit – there you go – more lies then. It’s pretty obvious he thinks he can treat people how he was us without come back. Look at that visit to sports direct where he pulled wads of cash out. How thoughtless was that..

One alan shearer, Exactly, just a complete shambles. Rafa is talking to agents to find out whats on offer and then having to ask the club if they can afford it. Honestly, you couldnt make it up. All ashley had to do is say to rafa, right weve bought what we have bought but ive meticulesly read your business plan and i will sanction the signing of a good striker and number 10 to be ofsseted by selling mitrovic and any one else you can move off the wage bill. Problem solved, we would be sat on at least 33 points now.

Did Online Guy actually resolve the issue around the sale of Strawberry Place?

I seem to remember a lot of speaking to officials but do not recall any resolution. It was established that the land was under a long term lease by NUFC and the freehold was not being offered, but beyond that and any exchange of money was not made clear.

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